Page 35 of Vale of Dreams

Viviane’s pale blue eyes sparkle. “And these ley portals…are you sure we can’t use them to get other agents through? We did it with the veil.”

“The veil is different,” Nivene says impatiently. “Sentinels can control that. But with the ley portals, it’s the opposite. They control us.”

I nod. “When I went through, it felt like the portal’s magic was pulling me, like intense gravity. I fell into it, hard. It drew on my Sentinel powers to pull me through. I wasn’t summoning anything.”

“Ah.” Viviane nods. “I knew it was too good to be true. Okay, so we have a portal that only you two can get through. Fantastic.”

“And that’s why I can’t get Raphael out,” I say. “Also, he’s refusing to leave until he finds his sister.”

Viviane sighs. “Well, it’s still better than nothing. Maybe we can still use it to assassinate Auberon or Talan. And we can finally get in touch with our assets in Brocéliande. We haven’t contacted them for fifteen years. Okay, keep going. How did you break Raphael out?”

I clear my throat, calculating how much I need to omit. “The portal led to a courtyard within the fortress wall. So, I got into the fortress easily and found him in the dungeons, mind controlled a guard, and then I came back and collapsed from exhaustion.”

“That was dumb and risky,” Nivene says. But she looks at me with something that almost feels like respect. “So, hang on, when you mind controlled the guard, did you read anything important in his mind?”

“Not really.” I stare out at the mist coiling off the cold lake. “Oh, and the Dream Stalker found me?—”

“He what?” Nivene sputters.

“Nia!” Viviane shouts. “I think it’s high time you tell us the entire thing from start to finish.”

I do, skipping over the parts that include Mordred and his silver moths. They ask a lot of questions, and I find myself lying again and again to avoid mentioning the Kingslayer. As I weave together a web of lies, my gaze flicks to the mirror. My chest aches. The Lady of Shallott wasn’t the only woman he’d cursed to live in isolation.

I finally finish and have a much-needed bite of bread and cheese.

Viviane and Nivene stare at me, stunned.

“So, we have a few days,” Viviane finally says.

“We don’t know how long, exactly,” Nivene says. “To get this ready, we’ll have to move quickly. Get her cover story ready. He could arrive at the village sooner.”

Viviane nods. “Yeah, I’d honestly prefer that you leave tonight, before Wrythe gets a whiff of this.”

“Hang on…” I say. “What are you on about?”

“We need to go through our contacts,” Nivene says. “We’ll have to use the sleeper agents. The assets we mentioned.”

“That goes without saying,” Viviane agrees.

“What are you talking about?” I press.

“It’s a good thing that her cover story places her in Lauron. You can get there quickly,” Viviane says.

They’re ignoring me now. Am I a ghost haunting this place, too?

“Hello!” I shout. “What’s going on?”

They look at me. “Well, we’re discussing how best to proceed with the Talan thing.”

“What. Talan. Thing?”

“His courtesan thing, obviously,” Nivene looks at me, frowning. “Come on. I know you’re tired, but we need you to be much sharper than that.”

“There’s no courtesan thing,” I say in disbelief. “There can’t be. I fully intend to return to Brocéliande on missions, but not as his mistress. Talan will figure me out immediately. He’s the Dream Stalker.”

“Nia,” Viviane says softly, “as spies, we spend years cultivating connections with Fey nobles. If we can get an agent undercover as a kitchen maid in a baron’s house, it’s a huge win for Avalon Tower. There’s never been anything remotely close to this. No one ever got close to the royal family. To be in a romantic relationship with the prince himself…it’s an opportunity we can’t pass on.”

My heart hammers. “I was with him for twenty minutes, and he came very close to invading my thoughts, to discovering every secret about me. He’s the Dream Stalker. Viviane, you know what he can do. The first time I fall asleep around him, he’ll step into my mind and find out everything I know. Then I’ll be stuck in Brocéliande as well as Raphael.”

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